Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

A blond-haired, fair-complexioned actor with a toothy grin and capable of an unsettling glint in his eyes, Gary Busey was born in Goose Creek, Texas, and was raised in Oklahoma. He is the son of Sadie Virginia (Arnett), a homemaker, and Delmar Lloyd Busey, a construction design manager. He has English, as well as Irish, Scottish, and German, ancestry. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1962 and for a while was a professional musician. A talented drummer, he played in several bands, including those of country-and-western legends Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson.

Busey's first film appearance was as a biker in the low-budget Angels Hard as They Come (1971) and, over the next few years, he landed several film roles generally as a country hick/redneck or surly, rebellious types. His real breakthrough came in the dynamic film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), with Busey taking the lead role as Buddy Holly, in addition to playing guitar and singing all the vocals! His stellar performance scored him a Best Actor nomination and the attention of Hollywood taking overcasting agents. Next up, he joined fellow young actors William Katt and Jan-Michael Vincent as surfing buddies growing up together in the cult surf film Big Wednesday (1978), directed by John Milius. However, a string of appearances in somewhat mediocre films took him out of the spotlight for several years, until he played the brutal assassin Mr. Joshua trying to kill Los Angeles cops Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the runaway mega-hit Lethal Weapon (1987). Further strong roles followed, including alongside Danny Glover once again in Predator 2 (1990). He was back on the beaches, this time tracking bank robbers with FBI agent Keanu Reeves, in Point Break (1991) and nearly stole the show as a psychotic Navy officer in league with terrorists led by Tommy Lee Jones taking over the USS Missouri in the highly popular Under Siege (1992).

The entertaining Busey has continued to remain busy in front of the cameras and has certainly developed a minor cult following among many film fans. Plus, he's also the proud father of accomplished young actor Jake Busey, whose looks make him almost a dead ringer for his famous father.

Trade Mark (3)

Trivia (24)

(January 25, 1999) Arrested and released on bail after a fight with his wife, Tiani Warden.

Had a plum-sized tumor removed from his sinus cavity. [May 1997]

He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "Voices That Care".

Nearly died of head injuries in a motorcycle accident in December 1988.

Has starred with Russell Wong in the unreleased 1997 pilot episode of Hawaii Five-O (1968). This pilot episode was filmed in Hawaii, but was not released due to a decision from CBS-TV executives.

(October 4, 1999) Made a rare public appearance at the "Ray & Sharon Courts Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show" at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in North Hollywood. He sold personally autographed pictures from his own collection and charged $15.00 to take a picture with him.

Attended Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas in the early 1960s.

Has black belts in all of the following martial arts: budo-jujitsu, capoeira, hapkido, "Jailhouse Rock" and kendo.

Has three children: A son named Jake Busey with his ex-wife Judy Busey, a daughter named Alectra 'Ellie' Busey (born 1994) with Tracy Hutchinson, and another son, Luke Samson Busey with fiancee, actress Steffanie Sampson.

Has played Peter Keyes in Predator 2 (1990) and then, at one point, he was attached to do a cameo as John Yutani, the other half of the infamous Weyland-Yutani Company from the Alien films in AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), but the character was written out of the script.

Gary and Steffanie Busey became the parents of a son, Luke Samson Busey, on February 23, 2010. Luke weighed in at 6 lbs. 7 oz.

Father of Luke Samson Busey, born on February 23, 2010, with actress Steffanie Busey.